The optimization of the capacity of a telecommunications satellite consists in matching the total power available on board the satellite with the power demand needed by all of the networks accessing the satellite. Currently, when a satellite telecommunications system is deployed, the use of the energy from the satellite is planned on the ground by considering a static power available on the satellite. The value of this power takes into account a margin covering all of the uncertainties over a time scale of a few months up to several years. Similarly, a fixed satellite power is allocated to each satellite access network, representative of a useful data transmission rate for this network. This planning assumes that the power available on board does not vary, nor does the data transmission rate of the satellite access networks.
However, the power available from a telecommunications satellite varies over time. These variations can be due, for example, to the aging of the satellite and of its electronics, to the variations in the payload due to thermal and/or thermo-elastic issues, to problems of directivity of the antennas. Similarly, the satellite access networks are subjected to operational variations in traffic leading to onboard power requirements that vary over time.
Owing to the use of a fixed onboard power, a part of the power actually available on board the satellite is not used and is lost. This additional power could, for example, allow the capacity of the communications system to be increased by increasing the data rate and/or the availability of the telecommunications links. Since the energy on board a satellite is limited, it is advantageous to provide a solution allowing the use of the instantaneous power available to be optimized.
Similarly, employing a fixed power allocated to each satellite access network does not allow it to be adapted to the real traffic, and hence represents a loss of efficiency.
One solution of the prior art for increasing the use of the resources of the satellite is to over-exploit the power of the said satellite (“over-booking of the satellite capacities”) especially at the start of a mission of the satellite. One drawback of this practice is that the effects of this over-exploitation cannot be technically controlled.